Bernie Sanders: Lets address the primary health care crisis in Vermont
Fri, 07/07/2017 - 3:24pm
by Senator Bernard Sanders
Excerpt:
In Vermont, we spend more than $5.5 billion on health care each year. Amazingly, this is an amount just about equal to the entire state budget. And of that amount, we spend over $2 billion in hospitals. That's a lot of money. In my view, an aggressive emphasis on disease prevention and expanding the delivery of primary health care will not only keep Vermonters healthy, it will save substantial sums of money by keeping people out of emergency rooms and hospitals.
Ask any doctor or nurse and they will tell you this: having reliable access to high-quality primary health care is a big part of what keeps people healthy. That’s because primary care providers are the first line of defense in health -- they work to promote healthy habits that prevent disease and manage diseases so they don’t become more serious. That’s exactly the kind of care provided at Vermont’s Federally Qualified Health Centers each and every day.
In recent years, we have greatly expanded community health centers in Vermont. Today, with over 60 locations in all 14 counties, these community health centers provide vital health care services to 155,000 Vermonters, about one in four people in our state. Our health centers treat children and adults, regardless of a family’s ability to pay. Community health centers see patients with private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, or no insurance at all. They provide primary care, dental care, mental health services and the lowest cost prescription drugs in America.
In the very rural areas of our state, health centers like Little Rivers Health Care and Northern Counties Health Care are particularly important, as they might provide the only doctor for many miles. In areas like Springfield and Randolph, health centers are partnering with local hospitals to find better ways to care for patients. In Burlington, the Community Health Centers of Burlington has gone to great length to provide culturally appropriate care to the many New Americans they treat. Each of our community health centers is unique, doing what is best to care for the Vermonters they serve.
http://www.vermontbiz.com/news/july/bernie-sanders-let%E2%80%99s-address-primary-health-care-crisis-vermont